Night
by Cubaser
Summary: Night is the only cat in BloodClan who believes in the warrior code, and even fights against them in battle. Now, Night is the only one who can save the cats in the twolegplace before BloodClan destroys them all.
1. Battle At The Forest

**Author's Note: Yay, this is my first fanfic! Please give me reviews for this, I worked hard on it! =D Any new ideas are welcome!**

* * *

Chapter 1

The forest was alive with screeching and fighting. Night was grappling with a yellow tom, his collar studded with sharp dog's teeth. It clumsily stumbled away, only to leap on top of Night unexpectedly, trapping him underneath his claws.

"What do you think you're doing, Night? Have you gone mad?!" The yellow cat spat furiously at him. "Scourge let you in, and this is how you repay him? What's gotten into you?!" He raked his claws across Night's face.

Night bunched his hind legs up and pushed, heaving the tom off of him. He then stood on his hind legs, overpowering the tom, and pinned him down.

"I'm not going to live my life like this, cowering in fear of having a family and friends in case Scourge finds out. I'm not about to be cast out because Scourge is afraid I might overthrow him, and neither are my kits!" Night hissed, and scratched the cat across the nose before jumping over him to help an unusually spotted golden she-cat battling Bone, the massive black and white deputy of BloodClan.

"Leopardstar, watch out!" screeched a gray tom behind her. The golden she-cat turned around and pounced on Night, clawing him.

"This will teach you to drive out the Clans!" she screeched, clawing him over and over. Night twisted out of her reach and stood, panting, before her.

"No! I'm not fighting for BloodClan!" he yowled, and leaped onto Bone's back, clinging to his fur while biting his tail and scratching his back. Bone hissed and twisted once in the air, shaking Night loose and nearly shredding his ear. Night let out a low growl and jumped on Bone once again, digging his claws into his pelt. "That's for my kits, you mangy furball!" Night screeched, clawing Bone's underbelly. Bone yelped and managed to get loose from Night's strong grip, running towards a fluffy white tom.

Night licked his wounds clean and looked up to find Leopardstar staring at him. "I have no wish to fight for the side of those traitors who would let a starving kit go without food," he meowed.

Suddenly, a terrible wail rose about the chaos of the fighting cats.

"Scourge!" it cried. "Scourge is dead!"

All fighting ceased. BloodClan warriors stopped in their vicious brawling and stared at the cat who had let out the horrible cry of defeat. Then, their blank gazes turned towards the source of their leader's death, a flame colored tom with green eyes. In an instant, they all turned and fled back to the twoleg place. To Night, the fleeing cowards no longer looked like the horrible warriors they had been when they came to defeat the Clans, but mice who were escaping back to their dark holes where they belonged.

Night looked at the clearing, filled with Clan cats chasing out the BloodClan cats. A hiss sounded behind him. "Run, kittypet!"

Night whipped around to face three cats - A black and white tom with a long tail, a tortoiseshell she-cat and a mottled dark brown tom, and all of them were pelting towards him. Night stood his ground, hoping that they would slow their pace, but they continued charging towards him. He let out a strangled mew and fled from them, their claws barely a tail-length away.

_What did I do to deserve this?!_ Night thought, panicked from the chase. _I fight on their side and they chase me out!_

Running as fast as his legs could carry him, he came to a sandy moor that smelled of Clan cats. Ahead was an old, used thunderpath. Night didn't have time to see if any monsters were coming, so he sprinted to the other side, praying that a monster wouldn't come out unexpectedly and crush him underneath its huge paws.

The scent of the three cats who were chasing him became weaker. Night turned to look behind him and saw that they were satisfied that they had chased him out of their territory and were padding towards the forest. Night took a few more weary steps away from the thunderpath and collapsed. He surveyed the land around him. To the left of him was the thunderpath, and in front was a cliff. At the bottom of the cliff was a dark looking cave. The sky was a hazy gray.

He thought about the cat with the flame-colored pelt who took away Scourge's life and freed the BloodClan cats. Scourge had taken him into BloodClan when he was a very small kit and had given him the name "Night" for his pitch black pelt. However, even though Scourge gave him shelter, he didn't feel any debt owed to him. Scourge was a terrible leader who would turn on any of his Clanmates in a heartbeat. He heard stories about how Scourge wasn't always the feared leader he used to be, but had a hard time envisioning anything other than hate and cruelty in Scourge's life.

When he looked at Scourge, he always looked at him with fear and hate. But when he looked at Scourge's murderer, he saw what a leader should be. He saw the determination to preserve one's Clan's territory and the binding loyalty that held him to it. The other Clan cats in the clearing looked at the flame cat with respect and trust, almost the opposite of what BloodClan looked at Scourge with.

Night got up to his paws and shook the dirt away from his fur. The gray sky let loose small droplets of water, and they clung to his pelt. He shook them off and leaped down the cliff. Perhaps the cave would be a good sanctuary in hiding from the rain.

Padding into the cave, he noticed that it seemed to swallow him up into darkness. Rain was still seeping into the cave, so he went further in.

Now there was only darkness everywhere. Night grew panicked, not knowing which way to go. Behind him, the small circle of light that indicated the entrance to the cave was gone completely. The eerie silence didn't help his problem at all.

Night sprinted forwards only to hit a cave wall. A dead end? He felt with his paw a passageway leading to the left. As he approached the new cave opening, he noticed a faint glow from inside. He walked faster, leading himself in. Then he gasped.

There was a stone in the middle of the cavern, and it was emitting a glow. He padded forward, suddenly feeling the urge to lie down and sleep. As he came closer and closer to the glowing stone, he felt sleepier and sleepier until he collapsed at the foot of it and fell asleep.


	2. Meeting With StarClan

Chapter 2

Night woke up in a familiar place. It was a small clearing surrounded by bushes and shrubs, and farther away there were twoleg nests. The grass there was springy and soft, like a nest full of feathers. The scent in the air was that of roses. Night looked up, and saw a sky full of beautiful, sparkling stars that seemed to shimmer.

He stood up and stretched, his wounds hurting him. He licked at them puzzled, and then remembered the battle the day before. He also remembered that Scourge died, and the flame colored cat that killed him. But what he remembered most of all was the pitch black cave that had encompassed a shining stone that seemed to glow like the moon.

_I fell asleep in that cave next to the stone, _Night thought. _I didn't fall asleep here. What is this place?_

Night looked up again and found that the stars were moving in a circle around the sky. Suddenly, they joined together to take the shape of a very familiar cat. Night peered up at the cat as it gracefully descended down. "M...Mother?"

The cat touched the ground and started to purr. "My son. I always knew you would find me one day." She circled around him, purring and licking him all over.

Night was confused. "How are you here? I always thought that you abandoned me as a kit.."

The she-cat stopped circling him and sat in front of Night, facing him. "I would never abandon you, my love. You know that. But you were so little when Scourge took you away from me...He told me that you were such a big, strong kit and that he needed you for BloodClan. I fought, Night, I fought so hard, but he killed me and took you away from me...I thought you would never know the truth, but now you do."

Night looked at her, completely shocked. This was just too much to take in one night. "So you mean that...Scourge...Killed you?"

Night's mother looked at him solemnly. "I'm afraid so, my little kit. He brought you up with stories of how he rescued you so you would feel a debt towards him, but you were too smart. I was watching the battle, Night. I'm very proud of you."

"Watching me?! How could you be watching me?" Night mewed, startled.

His mother licked her paw and drew it over her ear. "When cats with good hearts die, they go to a place called Silverpelt." She flicked her tail towards the remaining stars in the sky. "There, they live with StarClan with loved ones and visit cats in dreams."

Night looked up at the sky and shivered. "Did Scourge go to Silverpelt?"

"Certainly not. He went somewhere else, a dark place where he'll never be seen again."

A chilling wind blew in the small clearing, and Night's mother shivered. "It's almost time for me to go, my dear." Night began to protest, but she interrupted him. "Don't fret, little one. I will visit you in dreams to come. But first, I must tell you something..." She shivered and started to shimmer like the stars.  
"You must be the one to save BloodClan."

She shimmered once more, and the stars above seemed to reach down and retrieve her as she retreated back into Silverpelt.

* * *

**Oooh, spooky! :] I'll be writing the next chapter very shortly, so no need to worry!**


	3. Going Home

**Hi guys! Please don't forget to review, and if you give me any ideas for a good character, I might put them in!**

**

* * *

**Chapter 3

Night woke with a start. He had seen his mother! He always thought that his mother abandoned him as a kit and never wanted him, and now he's seen her and spoke with her. He felt a rush of anger that Scourge would do such a thing to him, and lie about it after. He always knew he couldn't trust Scourge, but he would never have guessed that he did those horrible crimes. No doubt he wouldn't be in StarClan; Night's mother said he would be in a dark place, never to be seen again, and Night was glad.

Night got to his paws and started padding down the tunnel that lead to the entrance. He pondered his mother's departing words: "You must be the one to save BloodClan."

What did it mean? Was he supposed to lead another attack against the Clans? No, that couldn't be. Not after all he had gone through, and his mother even told him that she was proud of him for fighting against BloodClan in the battle of the forest. It had to be something else.

A small circle of light appeared where the entrance was. Night picked up his pace. Even if he now knew there was nothing to fear from the cave - How could something so holy be dangerous? - he was still pleased to see the entrance and eager to get out of the pitch black cavern.

Stepping into the light, he shook his pelt and blinked. The first thing that he was going to do was go back to the twoleg place to visit his kits, Stripe and Drop. Before Scourge even thought of invading the forest, Night had met a pretty young she-cat named Flower. Flower was a loner, wandering from place to place with the seasons. A moon after their kits were born, a pack of dogs wandered from the forest into the twoleg place, cornering Flower and her kits. Night had tried to save all three of them, but the dogs overpowered him and he was only able to save his kits. Now, they were the only thing he had left of her.

Stripe was a pale brown tabby, like his mother, and Drop was pure black, like her father. After the dogs attacked, Night knew that it was too dangerous to raise two kits on his own. Scourge would kill them all if he found out. So, Night brought them to a twoleg that was friendly towards loners and rogues. The twoleg took them in, and Night liked to visit them now and then. Now, with Scourge gone, he would be able to see them without worrying the consequences.

Night looked in the direction of the twoleg place, but the numerous trees blocked his view. If he was going to travel to the twoleg place, he would have to get through the forest. Night sighed, and walked forward. He had no choice; He wouldn't abandon his kits when BloodClan was in a state of chaos. They might take it in their mind to become worse than Scourge had made it, if that was possible. He couldn't leave his kits in that. Besides, they would probably be worried about him after the battle.

Night came to another thunderpath. He hissed. How many thunderpaths could there be in one territory?! Swiftly darting across, he landed on the other side, his paws sinking into wet marshland and the stench of carrion filling his nose. Another scent, the scent of strange cats, was in the air as well.

_This is disgusting! _Night thought, holding his breath. _If this is what the Clan cats live in, I can't imagine why Scourge would want it!_

Eager to get off of the stinking marsh and back on the path to the twoleg place, he raced across yet another thunderpath and found himself in front of many trees. He took an experimental breath; This Clan's scent wasn't as bad as the other's. He cautiously took a step into the new territory. Were there any cats here?

Night heard a yowl. Bristling, he turned and faced the noise. It was the flame-colored cat! And with him was two others; a pale ginger she-cat and a long-haired gray tom. Night flattened his ears and hissed before turning away and pelting towards the twoleg place.

"Keep off of our territory! BloodClan isn't welcome here!" Came the hiss behind him. Night felt a rush of fury flow through him. He never wore the tooth collars that the other BloodClan members wore. Was it so obvious that he was raised as a BloodClan cat? He certainly hoped not!

Night growled deep in his throat as he ducked across the invisible line that divided the twoleg place and the Clan cats' territories. He wasn't sure if he would be welcome here after the battle. He looked over his shoulder and saw that the Clan cats have gone, and the only trace left of them was their scent.


	4. Fang

Chapter 4

He glanced at the area surrounding him. It was the same as it had ever been; Large, identical twoleg nests towered above him on each side with thin strips of grass in between each one. Behind some of the nests were small outlets where the twolegs kept their foolish objects and possessions, and some cats took shelter there when it was raining. As Night walked deeper in, he noticed that the twoleg nests seemed to be more spaced out and there wasn't as many of them, and the grass was replaced with more hard floor.

Here came a sharp turn, the path Night was walking replaced with a high barrier that twolegs often reffered to as "fences". Around the turn, he could hear the voices of cats quietly murmuring to eachother. Crouching down between a couple of twoleg nests, he waited to see what it was all about.

"Cats of BloodClan!" came a yowl that rose above the rest of the cats.

"You have seen what happened to Scourge, Bone and numerous other cats in the battle for the forest. Now, BloodClan is left without a leader. As a close friend to Scourge and a loyal BloodClan cat, I nominate myself to be BloodClan's new leader!"

_Loyal?! _Seethed Night. _No cat in BloodClan that voluntarily supports Scourge is _loyal _to anything!_

Furious, Night had to see what kind of cat would fight against what was right and nominate himself leader directly after his own leader was killed. Careful to make no sound, Night crept along the twoleg nests and craned his head around the turn to see what cat was speaking. He gasped.

It was the yellow tom he had fought in the battle!

The cat had a hungry gleam in his amber eyes that obviously meant trouble. His collar was studded with more teeth than Night had remembered on the dawn of the battle, and he was flanked by two large, dangerous-looking cats.

The rest of the cats looked hungrily at each other, glad to have another blood thirsty leader at their paws. They brought up a chant.

"Fang! Fang! Fang! Fang!"

However, there were a few cats that weren't calling their new leader's name out in chant. These cats looked nervously at Fang, shying away as if he would reach out and bite them.

_Maybe these cats are like me,_ Night thought. _They don't look eager to be in BloodClan._

One of the cats who might be like Night stood out from the crowd. It was a she-cat with a white pelt and yellow eyes, while most of the crowd was a darker color. Next to her was a bigger, stronger looking black tom with bright green eyes who stood protectively beside the she-cat. The she-cat glanced behind her and caught Night's eye, nudging the tom. The tom glanced at Night and murmered something in the white cat's ear, and they began to leave from the crowd.

Just as they reached the corner, Fang saw that they were leaving. "Where do you think _you're_ going?" He meowed slyly, leaping down from the pile of rubbish he stood on. "Do you want to _leave_?"

The she-cat drew back, hiding behind the tom, but the tom stood his ground. "We have things to do, Fang. Let us go in peace."

"Peace?" Fang whispered, barely audible. "Peace?" He stated louder, and finally opened his jaws in a yowl. "_Peace_?! The Clan cats didn't leave us in _peace_! BloodClan is a Clan of vicious fighters! We dont' bother with _peace_, and we don't have time for traitors who do!" Fang turned to the crowd. "Why should we put up with weak cats like those?! BloodClan is a Clan of strong cats!" Fang whipped around to face the two cats in the corner. "Scourge may have put up with cats like you, but there's no way I'm going to!"

The black tom was visibly angry now, bristling and teeth bared. "The answer to everything isn't 'fight'! I'm ashamed to have you as the leader in BloodClan, as I did Scourge!"

Fang slid out his claws, raking them against the hard floor and looked at the two cats atop of the pile, patiently watching the episode.

"Kill them."

* * *


	5. Six and Counting

Chapter 5

The black tom hissed and stood in front of the she-cat, whispering out of the corner of his mouth, "Run." The she-cat looked worriedly at the two malicious cats lumbering towards them and hissed, "You run, too." And sprinted in the direction away from the clearing, making sure the tom was following.

Night, shocked by the scene, didn't want to risk discovery by the huge cats and sank back into the nook between the two twoleg nests. Around the turn, he could hear the horrible meeting draw to a close, and most of the cats fled out and into their own dens to catch up on sleep. However, a few cats remained. Night could hear their hushed voices whispering to each other.

"What do you think will happen to Patch and Whiskers?"

"Do you think they're okay?"

"Of course they're okay, they're amazing fighters!"

"But did you see those cats? And how many teeth they had on their collars?"

"Relax. I'm sure they're fine." The last voice came from a cat in his old days.

Although the cat reassuring the rest of the group spoke encouraging words, Night could tell they weren't backed with the confidence needed. He took an experimental sniff; Fang and the other BloodClan cats were gone. There was no danger of them, for now. He took a step out of his hiding place and quickly padded into the clearing.

There were six cats in the meeting-place. One of them was an old gray tabby; Probably the one who had been telling the rest to relax. The rings around his tail were darker than the rest, and he was sitting in the spot that Fang had been. Directly in front of him was a younger tom with pale brown fur, who was sitting next to a dark gray she-cat. Behind them was an unusual cat, with cream-colored fur and brown paws and tail-tip. Next to that one were two small cats, a tortoiseshell and a gray cat with white and black patches everywhere.

"Greetings, Merlin." Night padded up to the old gray tabby and dipped his head in respect. "I haven't seen you since the day before the battle."

"Night!" Merlin exclaimed, rushing to the younger cat and flicking him across the nose with his tail. "I thought you hadn't made it. Fang didn't speak kindly of you in the meeting. He told the entire Clan that if any of them saw you, to kill you or drive you out."

Night shook his head sadly. It wasn't a suprise that Fang would do this. In fact, he wouldn't put it past Fang to do anything.

"Are Patch and Whiskers okay?" The small tortoiseshell in the back asked timidly.

"I don't know. I didn't follow them," Night mewed.

"I'm sure they're fine, April. They're the strongest and fastest out of all of us," reassured Merlin.

"I hope so," April meowed in a small voice.

"Don't worry. Everything will be fine," the patchy cat murmured, rubbing against April.

"Thanks, Storm," she purred, rubbing him back.

The tom with pale brown fur positioned himself so he was hiding behind Merlin and Storm. Merlin turned to him and muttered something in his ear, and he cautiously stepped forward.

"Hi, I'm Dusty."

"Hi, Dusty. I'm Night," Night replied.

"After the battle was lost, Fang and his guards began to recruit many new cats. Dusty was one of these new cats along with Cookie," he flicked his tail towards the cream colored cat with brown paws and tail, "and Mist," he indicated the last cat, a dark gray she-cat.

"Nice to meet you," purred Night.

April, who had been staring down at the floor, suddenly looked up. "Night, I know you just got here, but please, you have to find Patch and Whiskers. I'm so afraid for them!"

Night looked at her, suprised. After all, she was very quiet, even when she was a kit. But nevertheless, she was worried about Patch and Whiskers, and although he didn't show it as visibly, he was too. "Of course."

"Be careful," warned Cookie. "Those cats are dangerous, and they'll be on the lookout for you."

"I will," replied Night. "Thanks for the warning."

Before any of the other cats could say a word, Night turned and ran down the hard path. He sniffed the air; The scent of Patch, Whiskers and the two other cats was still fresh. He made it to the forest, where the scent trailed on.

_Oh no_, thought Night. _Am I going to have to go through there again?_

Sniffing the air again, he found that he had no choice. If he was going to track down the two lost cats, he would have to travel through the forest and risk capture by the Clans.

* * *

**Sorry for the rather short chapter, but I promise that the next chapter will be the one of the best ones yet! :D**


	6. A Secret Meeting

Chapter 6

Night scented the air again, feverently hoping that he'd gotten it wrong when he smelled the cats trailing into the forest. Unfortunately, he wasn't. Sighing, Night took one step after the other into the dark, crowded trees.

Patch and Whiskers' scent veered sharply into the stinking swamp that Night had ventured into after visiting the shining stone. He held his breath and darted across the thunderpath, his paws sinking yet again into damp grass.

_Ughck! _Night's lungs filled with an awful odor. But under the stench, there was a trace of the cats' scent. He walked on until the scent lead him right. He followed along, tall pines towering above him and marshy wetland underfoot. As soon as he thought he would lose his mind from the sense-numbing smell, he came to a hard path like that of the twoleg place. Cautiously, he sniffed it. The scent of Patch and Whiskers was strong. He padded in, wary and unsure of this new twoleg place.

Finally, he came to a fence with a very small hole at the bottom, barely a tail-length wide. He sniffed it, looked through and gasped at what he saw.

There was a circle of cats. Behind the circle, leading them, was Fang. He was pacing back and forth, sneering down at the two cats in the middle of the circle, which happened to be Patch and Whiskers themselves.

Patch was digging his claws into the ground, baring his teeth at Fang. His tail swished back and forth, and the moonlight shined on his black pelt. Whiskers was positioned next to him, her shy demeanor abandoned and her white tail fluffed out.

Fang was staring intensely at the two captives. Suddenly, he sat down and gave a yowl.

"Clanmates! The loyal cats of BloodClan! You all know why we are here. Although I have sent out for many new recruits for our Clan, it's obvious that you're the only ones who would sacrifice for BloodClan. Some of you have formerly lived in twoleg nests and the alleys along the thunderpaths, but unlike those other weaklings, you have the BloodClan spirit. The others, however, do not, and unless they learn to be vicious like you are, they must be driven out! There is no room for soft kittypets and gentle warriors! You are the true members of BloodClan, not they! And this is BloodClan territory!"

Fang's speech aroused screeches and yells of approval. Some members stayed silent but slid their claws out and scraped them against the hard floor.

As quickly as the applaud began, it ended, and Fang began to speak again. "They must learn that this twoleg place is ours, and we have no room for any cats other than us. And what better warning to them than the death of these two _noble _warriors?" He sneered the word "noble" as if it were the most ridiculous thing he's ever heard. "Black."

Patch let loose a low growl, directed at Fang as a powerful she-cat stalked into the clearing. The cat would much sooner be described as "it" than "she", for she was so huge that it would be impossible to tell from a far away distance. "Black" was a good name for her, not for her dark pelt, but for the seemingly evil soul lurking within it. She stepped towards Patch and Whiskers and hissed.

"No traitors!" Black screamed and leaped towards Patch, claws outstretched.

Patch had just enough time to bound out of the way while Whiskers raced at Black and knocked her out of the air. She landed with a huff on the hard, cold floor. Just as soon as she landed, she sprung up again, facing her attacker.

Black bunched her powerful legs and launched herself at Whiskers, landing on her, and began to claw at her underbelly. Whiskers yowled as Black's claws, reinforced with dog teeth, dug at her soft fur.

Patch growled and jumped over Black, catching her scruff with his hind claws, ripping her off of Whiskers. He fell onto the floor and Black slashed him across the nose.

"The twoleg place is ours!"

Whiskers was lying nearby, the wounds in her belly seeming to be too much for her. Then, with no warning, she leaped up and landed on Black's back, digging her claws in as far as she could and clinging on. Black was shaking vigorously trying to shake her loose, but Whiskers was holding strong.

Patch took advantage of the moment and used his hind paws to catch Black's tangle of underbelly fur and drag her down to the earth. Black was hissing and spitting while trying to shake the two cats off, but her efforts were futile.

Fang was watching nearby, seeming amused. "Help her, Fidel."

Out of the circle of cats, a dark brown tabby tom walked. His pelt was matted with dirt and burrs, as if he hadn't washed himself for moons. The hungry gleam in his eye signified nothing but trouble, and he leaped into battle.

This cat was a much more intelligent fighter than Black. Although Black possessed ruthless power, Fidel used his strength wisely. He stretched out a paw and raked Patch across the inside of his foreleg, causing him to collapse. Fidel then took Whiskers by the scruff and began to shake her until she lost her grip on Black. Black raced over to Patch and pinned him down, while Whiskers was being held by the scruff by Fidel.

Night watched in horror as Fidel threw Whiskers on the floor and loomed over her, the dangerous look still in his eye. Night couldn't take it.

"Stop!"


	7. Goodbye

**Author's Note: Woo, another chapter! Don't forget to review and send in OC's! I'd love it!**

**

* * *

**

Chapter 7

The cats in the clearing paused what they were doing and stared at the thick pelted black cat slipping through the hole in the fence. Night almost shivered in the presence of such malicious cats, but kept his body still in case they saw. He thrust his way into the middle of the circle, where Patch and Whiskers were.

"Don't hurt these cats."

Fang hissed loudly, shoving through the cats to come nose to nose with Night. "You're the cat who turned on BloodClan in the battle for the forest!" He looked at the group of cats. "You know what to do with traitors like these!"

Night backed up, drawing nearer to Black and Fidel. They growled at him, and Fidel stopped torturing Whiskers to stalk up to Night and bare his teeth at him. "He's mine."

Fang growled, not turning away from Night to answer Fidel. "No. He's mine. This traitor is _mine_!"

He darted underneath Night and kicked him from underneath, throwing him offbalance. He then pinned Night down and thrust his muzzle an inch away from Night's and spit in his face. Night turned away, disgusted. He flayed his hind legs across Fang's and scrambled out from underneath him until he could successfully escape from his grasp and turned on him.

The two cats simultaneously leaped up, paw to paw, and wrestled on the ground. Patch and Whiskers watched nearby, and Whiskers growled. She muttered something to Patch and pounced on Fang in the middle of the fight, screeching at him in fury. Fang, overcome by suprise, quickly scrambled to his paws and recoiled, the two cats seeming to be too much of a fight for him.

He flattened his ears at them and lunged forward, giving Night a quick slash on the ear before giving him a twisted expression and screeching at the BloodClan cats, "_Attack_!"

Night cast a panicked look towards Patch and Whiskers as half of the cats that had been in the battle for the forest made a move for him. He twisted backwards and searched for the hole that had been his entrance. He found it quickly and squeezed through it just in time for a BloodClan cat to barely miss his tail.

He kept running, seeing no clear passage to safety. As he sped through the seemingly endless twoleg place, he heard the pounding of many cats barely a tail-length behind him.

He felt sick of running. He felt sick of being chased. Above all, he felt sick of being an outcast. His paws flew over the ground, but his shoulders seemed weighted with burden. It appeared to him as if the battle was many moons ago, and _he _was the mouse being chased back to his hole. Night suddenly found himself wondering if he made the right choice in battling against his Clan.

_Don't think like that,_ he told himself. _You did the right thing. _Still, he couldn't help wondering if things would be different if he hadn't.

BloodClan's pawsteps seemed to be further and further away until they faded completely into the distance. Night slowed his own down to a stop and stole a glance behind him; BloodClan was gone. He felt a rush of relief, but it didn't last as he looked around him. Where were Patch and Whiskers?

Night turned around and cautiously walked back to the twoleg place where the secret meeting was held, aware that the BloodClan cats could be around anywhere. As he walked, he tried to catch their scent, but the only thing to could taste in his mouth was the overwhelming stench of BloodClan.

Finally, after seemingly endless walking, he came to the dreaded fence. He scented the air, looking for signs of BloodClan, but the scent that they left was stale. He padded towards the hole in the fence, careful of what he might find.

Night squeezed his body through the hole and looked at the scene before him. The wind seemed to make it all the more eerie, and the moonlight cast its light on the outlines of two cats. One was Whiskers, who was bent over a cat's still body in grief.

The body was Patch's.

* * *

**Oh no! Poor Patch. :'[** **Oh well...I'm sure we haven't seen the last of him... -hinthint-**


	8. Home of the Rising Sun

**Thanks for the reviews, I love them! =D And here's the story!

* * *

**Chapter 8

Night raced to the middle of the clearing, eyes wide, and skidded to a stop in front of Patch. He stared down at the black cat, who was powerful in battle, but now seemed small and defenseless. Whiskers didn't seem to acknowledge Night's presence, and continued to stare down at Patch. Night was astonished, and guilt suddenly overwhelmed him. _Maybe if I hadn't run_, he thought, _Patch would still be alive_.

Night turned to Whiskers. He was choked with emotion. "I'm...I'm so sorry..." He mumbled, but Whiskers merely shook her head and looked into the sky.

A sudden thought struck Night. Perhaps Patch was in StarClan? He turned his head to look where Whiskers was looking, searching for any sign of anything different in Silverpelt. All that met his eyes was the twinkling of stars.

It seemed like moons that they stood there in a silent vigil for Patch. They remained silent and with their eyes fixed at the stars until the stars dissappeared, one by one, and the sun crept slowly over the horizon.

Night sighed. Was Patch's fate the fate for every cat in BloodClan who didn't agree with the bloodthirsty laws of Fang? He hoped not. The sun fully visible now, he looked over at Whiskers. She wasn't as unhappy as she was before the vigil, but she still seemed sad. Night didn't blame her.

"This isn't what he wanted," she meowed suddenly, turning to Night.

Night was suprised. "Of course he didn't want this to happen," he said.

"I didn't mean that," Whiskers said impatiently. "I meant this. BloodClan. Fang. He didn't want any of that," she meowed, turning away.

"Neither did I," said Night, understanding. "Merlin and the rest of those cats didn't either," he added, suddenly remembering the six cats at the other clearing. He found his mind drifting away to the reason why he tracked down Whiskers and Patch in the first place. "April was worried about you."

"April?" Her whiskers twitched. "Maybe we should be getting back."

"Maybe," Night agreed, and looked at Patch's body. "You'll see him again."

"Patch?!" Whiskers sounded surpised. "How could I?"

"Well...I saw my mother in a dream," Night explained. "She told me that cats go to a place called StarClan when they die, and can visit other cats in dreams."

"StarClan?" Whiskers looked doubtful. "Are you sure it wasn't just a dream?"

"I'm sure," Night persisted. "It felt too real to just be a normal dream."

Whiskers looked down at Patch's broken body and sighed. "Maybe."

Night felt pity for the young, white warrior. Patch had been her brother, and they were always close. Whiskers would be uncomfortable without Patch around.

Whiskers looked up. "Let's carry him to somewhere...Better."

"Okay," Night said, not hesitating.

"There's a patch of grass near that twoleg nest over there," she mewed, flicking her tail near a grassy area behind a small twoleg nest. "I want...to bury him there."

And they did.

* * *

April was pacing back and forth. She was in a hole in the underground, created by twolegs who kept their things there. Merlin was sitting patiently nearby, as was Oreo, Mist and Dusty. Storm was padding next to April, muttering things in her ear that no one else could hear.

"That's it," April said, loud enough so the cats around could hear her. "I can't stand this anymore." She walked towards the entrance in which they came, but Storm blocked her way.

"I understand your concern, April, but I can't let you go out there. If Patch, Whiskers _and _Night haven't come back, something's going on."

"I _know _that something's going on!" April hissed, lashing her tail. "That's why I want to go out. I need to know if they're okay!"

Storm sighed and sat down near her. He began to lick her ear. "It hasn't been that long. It's not even sunhigh yet."

"But they left yesterday," she growled, jerking away from Storm's tongue. She paced towards Merlin. "Surely you don't think they'd take this long if they were okay?"

"April, they'll be fine," Merlin replied. "Fang's guards probably chased them a long way."

April sat down in the corner. They were treating her as if she was an innocent kit who couldn't take care of herself. She lashed her tail again in frusturation. To make matters worse, _she _was the one who asked Night to go after Patch and Whiskers. If he didn't come back, it'd be her fault.

She scented Storm behind her, and felt his tongue rasp across her ear again. "It's okay," he murmured, and April desperately wished she could share his faith.

* * *

Night stepped into the clearing where Fang had chased Patch and Whiskers off. He scented the air; Merlin and the other cats' scent was still fresh, but Night didn't know where it was coming from. They were long gone.

Whiskers padded on, not hesitating as she led him to a dark hole in the ground. Night carefully sniffed it, and it scented of twoleg. "What's _that_?" He asked.

Whiskers sniffed. "It's our home," she said simply, and padded down.

Night lingered back, unsure of the mysterious hole. Then he saw that Whiskers wasn't the least bit worried, so he walked down himself.

When he reached the bottom, the floor was soft and springy, made out of something that looked like dead grass, but longer. Sunlight filtered down from the ceiling, which was made out of long logs criss-crossed together. The area smelled like mice.

Deeper in the hole, Merlin was sitting with Oreo and Mist sitting nearby. Dusty was next to Storm, watching in amusement as April rushed up to Whiskers and covered her in licks.

"What happened? Are you okay? Where's Patch?"

The last question struck Whiskers like a blow. She hung her head and replied, "Patch is dead."

April stopped inquiring and stood there, slowly comprehending what Whiskers just said. "He's...Dead?"

Whiskers nodded. She sat down, seemingly exhausted.

April shook her head and looked at Night. "No..How?"

A fresh wave of guilt overcame Night and he looked away. "It was Fang."

"_Fang_!" April hissed, her tail bristling. "I _hate _Fang!"

Night was stricken by April's sudden outburst, filled with hate and loathing. He padded towards her and began to speak, but she cut him off.

"Fang! Fang's the source of this...this...this _hell_!" She spat, her tail twitching back and forth. "I wish he'd crawl into a hole and _die_!"

Mist, who was sitting quietly behind Merlin, stood and padded to April. "April, I know Patch's loss is hard on you. It's hard on all of us. But we can't act like this. It won't make anything better."

April still seemed angry, but her fur lied flat and she began to lick her chest. Storm padded up to her and sat next to her, not saying a thing, staring into the distance.


	9. Return of a Demon

**Awh! D: Why aren't you people reviewing? I won't do what other people do and stop posting the story to get you to review, but I really would appreciate more than twelve. T-T Please review!

* * *

**Chapter 9

Night was chasing a plump, gray mouse. He slinked across the forest floor, the scent of prey filling his nose. He slipped into the best hunter's crouch he could do, and pounced.

He watched in despair as he landed short and the mouse scurried away, towards some deeper looking woods. He cursed the mouse and followed, the bit of prey too good to lose. As he treaded in the undergrowth, he noticed the forest getting more and more thick. He sniffed the air. The scent of mouse was gone.

Night stood up in panic, not knowing where he was. Tall trees towered over him, the darkness around them engulfing him in a choking hold of fear. He raced back the way he came, but all that met him were more trees and eerie scent. He doubled back. There had to be some way to get out of this place.

Night turned around yet again, and came face to face with a pair of ice blue eyes. Night recoiled. Who was this dark stranger that had suddenly come out? Night struggled to see him, but the darkness of the forest hid his pelt from sight. He began circling Night.

"Hello," the stranger rasped. Night bristled at the sound of his voice, claws against stone.

"Who are you?"

"Who am I?" The stranger started to laugh, the sound seeming unfeline. "I'm sure you know me quite well, Night." He stopped circling Night and sat down in an eerie fashion. "I've been wandering these forests too long to have foolish traitors ask who I am."

Night inspected the cat closely. The are that he sat down in had a thin stream of light from a gap in the trees, barely visible. However, it was enough to outline the cat's pelt. Night looked closer. The cat had a gleam in his eye, the same gleam that Fang had when he ordered the BloodClan cats to chase Night away. The same gleam that...

_Scourge!_

Night bristled, baring his teeth at the former BloodClan leader. This was the cat that had stoled him away from his mother and then killed her. This was the cat that had made BloodClan a band of savage killers. This was the cat that had started the demise of the twolegplace cats' peace, and this was the cat that was going to _pay_.

Scourge's lip curled in a malicious fashion. "That's right, you worthless kittypet _fool_. I thought you were strong when I graciously took you in, but it turned out that you were as weak as your mother."

That was it. Night couldn't take it anymore. He bunched up the muscles in his hind legs and leaped at Scourge, claws unsheathed. However, Scourge whipped out of the way in time for Night to crash against the dark forest floor, and hovered over him. "You don't really think _you _can beat _me_, do you?" Scourge sneered. "Don't you remember the way I dispatched of Tigerstar? A traitor like you couldn't destroy me."

Night felt a rush of fury through him. How could he? How could he do all of those horrible crimes and still believe he was right? Then it occurred to Night: Scourge was dead. Did this mean that this was a dream? If it was, Scourge couldn't hurt him. But he couldn't hurt Scourge.

Nevertheless, Night raised his forepaw in a quick blow to Scourge's nose, making him retaliate. "Fool!" Scourge leaped up and came down hard on Night, almost crushing him despite his little exterior. Night felt the air rush out of him and for an instant, the world became black. Then, as soon as they dissappeared, the dark trees and Scourge were visible, but the stinging pain was still left. Cautiously, he wriggled away from Scourge and tried to stand.

Scourge looked triumphant. "Look. Not even the fact that this is a dream can save you now."

Night flattened his ears. "How? How can you still come to me in dreams? I thought only StarClan..."

"_StarClan_!" Scourge spat. "StarClan is a kit's tale. You can't possibly believe in _that_."

Night raised his head and looked Scourge in the eye. "I do! My mother visited me in a dream from StarClan. Not even you can separate us forever, Scourge."

Scourge let out a low growl which quickly turned into a battle yowl. With that, he launched himself at Night and began tearing at his underbelly. "Let's...See...If...StarClan...Can save you..._Now_!'

Night felt the world turn white and fade away. The searing pain that Scourge was causing was the only thing he could feel, the only thing in his mind. It screamed at him, yelling at him to run, but he couldn't...

"Night. _Night_."

Night was vaguely aware of a she-cat calling his name. He struggled against the choking whiteness. "Mother...?"

"_Night_. _Night_! Wake _up_!"

The pain was slowly ebbing away, leaving sharp stings that still hurt, but were nothing compared to before. He was aware of a small prod to his side. Slowly, the whiteness faded away. Night dared open his eyes a slit. He was back at the hole? He opened his eyes all the way. Whiskers was standing over him, poking him with her paw.

"Night?! What...What happened?!"

Night groaned and closed his eyes. There was a dull pain in his belly, and he didn't want to look at what might meet his eyes.

"Night..."

Whiskers' persisting mews echoed in his ears. "Whiskers..." He was exhausted, despite the fact that he had just been sleeping. The scratches on his belly were bearable now, and soon enough Night found himself in a quiet, but peaceful sleep.


	10. Whispers and Secrets

**Thanks for the reviews, you guys! You rock! : D And here's the next chappie!  


* * *

**Chapter 10

Whiskers flattened her ears as she inspected Night's wounds on his belly. She didn't know what they were, or how they came to be there, but they looked vicious. Only a heartless cat would do something like this. She sniffed the crisscross shapes on Night; there was a faint scent of BloodClan, and something else she couldn't figure out. She recoiled in disgust. Once he woke up, she'd ask him who did this.

Whiskers padded over to Mist and nudged her with her nose. Mist used to live in a twoleg nest with many herbs all around; she would know what herbs to get to help Night from the small garden in the corner of their hole. Mist opened one eye. "What is it Whiskers?"

"Come look at this," Whiskers mewed, and let Mist over to Night. Mist's eyes widened as she saw the damage to Night's belly and mewed, "Wait here." She padded to a far corner of the small cavern. Whiskers looked at her, carefully noting what herbs she was picking. As Mist padded back, she lay some leaves in front of Whiskers. "This is dock. It'll help his wounds heal. Chew it, the spread it onto his scratches." Whiskers did so, chewing and spitting out the pulp of the dock onto the slashes that Night had received. She worked her paws over the scratches, careful not to let any more pressure then needed on them.

Whiskers stepped back, looking at Night. "What do you think happened? Do you think a BloodClan warrior ambushed him?"

Mist shook her head. "That doesn't make any sense. If they had, why would they just hurt Night? And we would hear them. It must be something else, but for now, you should let him sleep. Sleep is a key ingredient to healing anything." With that, Mist brushed her tail against Whiskers' nose and padded back to her nest made out of nettles and promptly fell asleep.

Whiskers felt very tired. She took a couple weary steps, and sat down next to Night. No matter how comforting Mist's words were, she couldn't shake the feeling that BloodClan had done this, somehow. She didn't want Night, or anyone else, to fall asleep one night and wake up ambushed.

She lie down, facing the entrance, and closed her eyes, willing for sleep to come. It wouldn't. She heaved a sigh. Suddenly, she caught the scent of a cat coming through the entrance. She opened her eyes a slit and watched as the lean figure of a cat slipped through the narrow passageway. Whiskers caught her breath; The cat entering was a creamy colored cat with brown paws, tail tip and snout, the same one that had warned Night before he set out to look for Patch and herself. It was Cookie.

What was Cookie doing? Was he gone for a long time? Perhaps he had been hunting, but Whiskers doubted it; There wasn't any scent of prey at all. She stood and stretched, feigning a yawn. Cookie stopped in his tracks and shot a look at Whiskers. She walked up to him, planning on confronting him head on.

"Hi, Cookie. Where've you been? It's really early. Sunrise has got a few hours to go," she mewed. Cookie looked bewildered; Whatever he was doing, he hadn't planned on getting caught. However, the confused look disappeared from his face in an instant, and he recomposed himself.

"Hi, Whiskers. I was just making dirt," he replied coolly. Whiskers knew in a heartbeat that wasn't true; His scent was more than just the dirtplace. However, Whiskers didn't pry. "Okay," she replied, equally calm, and settled down again to sleep. Whatever Cookie had really been doing, it could wait until tomorrow, along with whatever hurt Night. With that thought, she curled up next to night and fell into a deep sleep.


	11. A New Clan, A New Name

**A/N: Hi guys! :D Just wanted to say thanks again to my most recent reviewers: icanhazlolcatsplz, Firestorm75 and VeridianRose! The rest of you, I know you're out there! -shifty looks- Review!**

**And now on to chapter eleven. =3

* * *

**Chapter 11

Night opened an eye. All was dark in the hole, save for the streams of light coming down from the cracks and spaces in the ceiling. He stood and stretched, tasting the scent of the new morning. Night scanned the area; It was empty. He glanced down at his belly where Scourge had hurt him in his dream. It was slathered with the remains of dock, and was almost fully healed. He sniffed it. Whiskers.

Night stretched once more and followed the cats' scent to the entrance. He peeked his head through the opening; Merlin was sitting on a flat, raised stone in front of a crowd of four other cats; Dusty, Storm, Mist, April and Whiskers. Cookie was nowhere to be seen. Night fit the rest of his body through and padded over to Dusty, taking a seat next to him. Dusty shifted uncomfortably, but didn't say anything. Their eyes were all focused on Merlin, who was speaking.

"The cats of BloodClan are becoming more dangerous," the aged cat meowed. "After the way Fang acted against Patch, Whiskers and Night, we can safely assume that they are intent on driving all other cats away.

However, we're not alone. We know that we all of us are against Fang and his way of life. We must band together and take action against BloodClan!"

Gasps and yowls of dissagreement rose above the clearing. "There's too many! We can't possibly take them on!" Cried April, distraught.

Night shook his head, all of this being too much. Why was this happening? Had the forest cats taken that much of a toll on BloodClan? The forest cats...

Night stood and padded over to Merlin, taking a seat by his side. "Merlin's right!" He said calmly, silencing the cats. They all had their eyes on him now. "Merlin is right," Night repeated. "We have to do something about BloodClan. I...I had a dream the other night. In it...I saw my mother. You all know that she died, but she came to me. She told me about a Clan in the sky, called StarClan. She told me that they came to cats in dreams. And she told me that she...That she was proud of me in fighting against BloodClan in the battle for the forest. She said that we have to do something about them," he explained. He had felt that he needed to do something to inspire their faith in themselves, and StarClan was how.

The cats looked up at the sky, but the stars were concealed by the sun's rising. "I saw my mother by going to a cave that had a stone that shone like the moon," Night continued. "I believe in StarClan. We need to do something."

To Night's suprise, Dusty was the one who spoke out against him. "There are times when a dream is just a dream, Night. How do we know that it wasn't for you? I don't doubt that you saw your mother, but I believe that maybe it was just a dream."

Night was dismayed. "It wasn't just a dream. It felt too real."

The cats looked at each other in doubt. Suddenly, a heavy cloud blocked the sun's light. The cats in the clearing were cast in darkness, save for the small amount of sun that escaped the cloud's hold. The air in front of Night shimmered, to his suprise. He stepped back. The shimmering formed itself into a faint figure of a cat, and the cats in the clearing gasped in shock.

Whiskers padded forward. "...Patch? Is that...Is that you?"

Patch walked forward and touched noses with Whiskers. "Yes, Whiskers, it's me. I've been missing you." He looked at the other cats, their eyes wide in wonder.

"Night speaks the truth. StarClan is real, and you must," he turned to look at Night, "You must be the ones to believe in them. You mustn't let BloodClan drive you away."

"You must become a Clan."

Patch walked to Night's side. "Night, you were the first to take action against BloodClan and you have deserved the right to become this new Clan's leader. Before moonhigh, you must go to the Moonstone, where you saw your mother. Until then, you will be known as Nightpool."

He turned to his sister. "Whiskers, you fought as hard as any warrior when Fang killed me. I am proud of you, and I am also proud when I say that you shall be this Clan's deputy. You will be known as Dovewing."

Dovewing purred and rubbed against Patch's side. "I'm proud of you too, my brother."

Patch purred and licked her ear before approaching Mist. "Mist, you have a great knowledge of herbs and medicines. I trust that you'll use this knowledge to help your new Clan as medicine cat."

Mist's eyes widened, and she mewed quietly, "Of course!"

"Then, your new name shall be Duskwind. I'm sure that you'll make a wonderful medicine cat."

Patch then made his way over to Dusty and Merlin. "Dusty, you think that you are an ordinary cat, but you have the makings of a warrior within you. A warrior such as yourself is deserving of a warrior name. You will be known as Vinetail."

Vinetail's nervous expression turned into one of pride, and he sat straight as he said, "Thank you!"

Patch padded over to April. "April, your fierce personality will be rewarded in being in this Clan. Your name will be Cloverpad." He looked at Storm. "You have the soul of a warrior, Storm. Your new name is Stormpelt."

Patch finally turned to Merlin. "Merlin, you have been a good and noble cat, more than worthy a place in your new Clan. You are too old to be a warrior, but your Clan will be proud to have you as an elder. Your new name is Silverfrost."

Silverfrost met Patch's eyes and with one word, expressed the feelings of all the cats in that clearing.

"Thank you."


	12. Light is Shed

**Come on, guys. There's stories with less chapters than this with over thirty reviews! T-T Review! I know you're out there!  
**

**Also, I understand that the sudden change of names might be a little confusing, so here's the allegiances for our new clan:**

**Leader: **Nightpool - Night

**Deputy: **Dovewing - Whiskers

**Medicine Cat: **Duskwind - Mist

**Warriors: **Vinetail - Dusty

Cloverpad - April

Stormpelt - Storm

**Elders: **Silverfrost - Merlin

**Rather small, isn't it? Don't worry, it'll grow! -wink wink-  
**

**

* * *

**Chapter 12

Patch padded to the front of the clearing, addressing the clan cats. "This Clan also needs a new name. It will be called LightClan, for it is the light that will wash away the darkness of BloodClan." He turned to Dovewing and said, "I must go. I'll see you again in dreams, Dovewing. I promise."

Dovewing walked over to Patch. "I know you will," she purred, and watched as his figure shimmered and he disappeared into the air. She then turned to the small group of cats. "LightClan. LightClan!"

They took up the cry. "LightClan! LightClan! LightClan!"

Nightpool looked proudly over his Clan as they chanted their new name. They were a Clan now. Nothing could stop them! Then a thought occurred to him.

"What about Cookie?"

The chanting subsided into anxious murmuring about the mysterious cat that kept disappearing. Where was he going? He couldn't possibly just be hunting or making dirt! It had to be something else. Silverfrost then stepped forward. The cats were silenced, respect for the elderly cat showing in their eyes and quieted mouths.

"Cookie has abandoned us. I saw him leaving the clearing, and when I confronted him, he told me that he was following Fang."

Dovewing let out a hiss of outrage. "He was gone last night too! He told me he was making dirt. That liar!"

"Should we go after him?" Stormpelt inquired.

Nightpool thought. Should they risk what Patch helped them make by going after a cat who had made a bad decision? "No," he meowed. "It was Cookie's choice. Now he has to live with it."

Stormpelt nodded. "A wise decision."

Silverfrost looked at Nightpool, amusement showing in his eyes. "Aren't you forgetting something?"

Nightpool was confused. Forgetting something? He remembered the journey he would have to make to the Moonstone; But he didn't have to be there until moonhigh. It was barely dawn. Then he thought back to why he had come back to the twolegplace in the first place.

"My kits!" He exclaimed. "Stripe! And Drop! What will BloodClan do to them if I leave them there? They're only six moons old! _Mousebrain_!" He hissed, lashing his tail. "If Fang laid a claw on them..."

"Relax," Dovewing said. "Why don't you go to them now? Then you can get them and go on to the Moonpool."

Nightpool thought. It was a good idea, he realized. He let his fur lie flat. "Thanks, Dovewing. Will you come with me? To visit my kits?"

Dovewing looked suprised, but then looked warmly at Nightpool. "Of course. Let's go now, so you can get to the Moonstone early."

Nightpool nodded and looked at Silverfrost. "While I'm gone, can you look out for BloodClan? They might take it in their minds to launch an attack."

"Of course," obliged Silverfrost. "Now go! It's a long journey through the forest."

With that, Nightpool slipped out into the twolegplace with Dovewing behind him. They made their way through the winding paths, being cautious of BloodClan cats as well. Nightpool scented his way through the twoleg nests, remembering the scent that his kits had. He led Dovewing through a slip of grass, revealing a twoleg barrier. Fence, it was called. He leaped on top of the fence and beckoned for Dovewing to follow him.

He jumped down, and stared at the twoleg nest. How was he supposed to get in? Then he noted a flap in the entrance to the nest; Perhaps they could get in that way. He prodded the flap with his paw, and realizing that it was a cat-sized entrance, he went in.

The first thing that greeted Nightpool was the scent of kittypet food and the sound of crunching pellets. He saw Stripe, his brown tabby son, with his muzzle plunged into a food bowl. Drop was on the other side of the room, playing with fake prey, her black pelt glossy and clean.

Stripe looked up at the newcomers and quickly swallowed his food. "Daddy!" He yelped, racing towards and bowling over Nightpool. Drop left the twoleg toy on the soft floor and ran to Nightpool.

"Daddy! Night! Where've you been?" She squealed, jumping on top of him.

Nightpool purred, overjoyed to see that both of his kits were safe. "My name's Nightpool now," he said softly. He flicked his tail towards Dovewing. "And this is Dovewing. She's my friend."

Dovewing looked fondly at the young cats. "Nice to meet you, Stripe and Drop."

Stripe looked in awe at Dovewing. "Hi..." Drop climbed off of Nightpool and tilted her head. "Why did you change your name?"

Nightpool and Dovewing exchanged a glance. "It's a long story, Drop," Nightpool mewed. "Let's sit down and I'll tell it."

Stripe and Drop bounded towards the place with the soft floor and sat down, patiently waiting. Nightpool and Dovewing walked over and sat down in front of them, and began.

"Stripe, Drop, do you know BloodClan?" Nightpool asked. The two kits nodded.

"BloodClan is a very bad Clan. They tried to drive me, Dovewing and another cat named Patch out. Dovewing and I escaped, but they killed Patch." Audible gasps from the kits. "Dovewing and I then went back to the rest of the cats who weren't part of BloodClan anymore and told them. I told them about a Clan named StarClan. StarClan is out warrior ancestors who look over us. They're the cats who die," Nightpool explained, his kits' eyes fixed on him.

"The cats didn't believe me until Patch came down from the sky from StarClan. He gave us all new names, warrior names, and made us into a new Clan. LightClan."

Stripe looked at his father in awe. "So now...There are two Clans in the twolegplace?"

"That's right," Mewed Dovewing.

"What's Merlin's name?" Asked Drop. "He used to tell us stories!"

"Merlin's now Silverfrost," said Nightpool, amused.

"That's a great name!" Stripe squealed, jumping up. "Can we get new names too?"

Dovewing looked at Nightpool. "They'd be safer in LightClan. BloodClan could come in here any time."

Nightpool nodded thoughtfully. "That's true...They'd be protected in LightClan. The twolegs here aren't very caring."

Stripe shook his head vigorously. "They never pick us up! And they hardly feed us! We'd be better off there anyway. We go out all the time! We know how to deal with enemies! Like that frog! Right, Drop?" He mewed, and continued without letting her answer. "And we know how to fight too! You taught us! Remember, Daddy?"

Nightpool suppressed a mew of laughter. "Of course, Stripe. In fact, how about you two follow Dovewing to our camp," he shot a meaningful look at Dovewing, "and I'll meet you two there tomorrow?"

"Okay!" The two kits said simultaneously. "Let's go!" They charged towards the twoleg entrance and walked through. Dovewing looked at Nightpool, amused, and set forward with the kits.

Nightpool walked outside, feeling the crisp air on his pelt. He sniffed the air, and without a pause, he started his journy to the Moonpool.


	13. Nine New Lives

**Woohoo, reviews! =D Thanks to ViridianRose (who keeps reviewing even if it is against their will, hehe :3), icanhazlolcats (who is my friend in real life, ive know him foreva!) and Firestorm75 (who was my very first reviewer!) Thanks you guys, and to everyone else who reviewed! Woopee! I think this'll be my last chapter for today, since I want to give everyone else a chance to be on the first page o.o Writing spree indeed!  


* * *

**Chapter 13

The Moonstone. It shone brilliantly, magnificent and wonderful. Nightpool was uneasy in walking towards it. He had heard from stories about the Clan cats that leaders received nine lives and were trusted with the entire Clan. He wasn't sure he was ready for that; But he trusted Patch. He leaned forward and touched his nose to the glimmering stone and fell into a deep sleep.

He awoke in the same forest that he had battled in. He shivered. There were no fighting cats, but to be in the same place brought unwanted memories of the fight. He had fought for the right side, but he still felt nervous in it.

Nightpool glanced at the sky. The stars seemed to shimmer, as they had with his mother, and suddenly they all rained down. Figures of new cats filled the clearing, and Nightpool couldn't count the amount of cats that were there. He spotted a familiar face he hadn't seen too long ago; Patch's.

Patch stepped forwards. "You came. It's time that you became a true leader and received the nine lives of one."

Nightpool dipped his head in greeting. "I did come. But how will I receive nine lives?"

"Each of the cats in this clearing will give you a life," explained Patch. "I will be the first."

"With this life, I give you strength," he said. "Use it well to protect your Clan."

With that, Patch leaned down and beckoned for Nightpool to touch noses with him. Nightpool rushed forward, eager to see what it would be like to receive a life from a StarClan cat. As soon as he touched Patch's nose, a sharp wave of pain swept through his body. He felt as if he were on fire. The pain built higher and higher until Nightpool thought he would explode. Then, as Patch drew his nose away, he felt the pain ebb away slowly. He was left gasping.

"What...I have...I have to do that eight more times?"

"Be strong," was all that Patch had to say, and he stepped back from Nightpool and allowed another cat to take his place.

Nightpool felt a purr rising in him. "Mother!"

"Nightpool," she mewed affectionately. "I give you a life full of sympathy. Use this life to understand the problems of others." She touched noses with him. This time, Nightpool braced himself for the pain that followed. The pain wasn't as great this time, but it still faded away slowly, as if it were reluctant to leave.

"I will see you again, dear one."

Next, a blue gray cat emerged from the starry cat along with a white one. "I am Bluestar," she said. "I was former leader of ThunderClan. The flame colored cat that you saw kill Scourge was Firestar. He is the current leader of ThunderClan. I'm here to give you a life for bravery. Use it to defend your Clan against the hardest of times."

Once again a spasm of pain went through Nightpool, and he saw visions of Bluestar's life - Fighting rogues for her Clan; Fighting the brown tabby Nightpool recognized as Tigerstar; Fierce, hungry dogs snapping at Bluestar's throat; Aiding Firestar when Scourge had killed him.

The white cat now stepped up. "I am Whitestorm. I was killed in the battle for the forest against BloodClan, when you bravely fought against them. I give you this life for endurance. Use it wisely to survive."

As the pain from the last life crept away, a beautiful she-cat came from the crowd of StarClan cats. Nightpool gasped.

"Flower!"

She ran to him, delight filling her eyes. "Nightpool, my beloved. I've been watching over you. I'm so proud." She nudged him affectionately. "With this life, I give you love. Use it well for all the cats that care for you."

Nightpool didn't expect the surge of furiocity that came with that life. He dug his claws into the earth and clenched his teeth. He felt the urge to yowl aloud, but suppressed it just as she pulled away.

"Flower, don't go..."

"I must," she said. "But I'll see you again."

Next that came from the cats was a skinny gray tom. He walked up to Nightpool, and in an instant, he recognized who it was. It was Boulder.

Boulder touched his nose to Nightpool's. "With this life, I give you loyalty. Use it to hold your Clan together when their faith is weak."

Boulder walked away just as the pain started to ebb. _Only three more lives to go, _he thought. He could make it. He stepped forward to recieve the next life.

Another gray tom came from the StarClan cats, but this one was wiry and tough. His eyes were a soft blue, and he came to Nightpool.

"I am Rain, the brother of Black," he said. "Black killed me in battle for the approval of Scourge. But now I am here to give you your next life. With it, I give you good hunting. Use it in the most bitter times of leafbare."

The next cats to come up came together. They padded side by side, and Nightpool saw that they were his sister and father. He looked at them, inredibly happy that he could finally see his family again. His sister came and touched his nose.

"With this life, I give you knowledge. Use it to give good judgment when the time comes."

Then, his father stepped forward. He looked Nightpool in the eye, and licked his forehead. "My son," he murmured. "I give you this life for good leadership. Use it to lead your new Clan...LightClan."

After Nightpool received his last life, his father spoke again. "You are no longer Nightpool, nor are you Night again," he said. "No, now you take the name of a true leader. Nightstar!"

A chant rose above the StarClan cats. "Nightstar! Nightstar! Nightstar!"

Nightstar closed his eyes and let the chant wash over him. Then, the voices slowly faded away into nothingness, and when Nightstar opened his eyes again, he was back in the cavern with the Moonstone.


	14. Strength and Hope

**I'm just spitting out chapters, aren't I? Read and enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter 14

Nightstar stood from his position and stretched out his aching body. It seemed like moons since Scourge had tried to kill him in that dream. Nightstar flexed his muscles; He felt stronger than he had ever been. His pelt, glossy from the new lives, seemed to shine as bright as the Moonstone. He felt like a new cat.

Nightstar padded out of the small cavern, letting his nose take him back to the entrance. As he walked on, he got lost in his thoughts about LightClan. He was overjoyed that there was a chance that BloodClan could get driven out, but he still couldn't wrap his mind around how he was supposed to. There was only seven cats in the Clan, and more than three times that many in BloodClan. _Scratch that_, Nightstar thought. _Nine cats in the Clan. I almost forgot that my kits joined the Clan._

He shook his head, overwhelmed. He was the _leader _of LightClan now. If he was a leader, he had to start thinking like one. And the way that LightClan had gotten those nine cats was from finding cats that opposed Fang. Maybe he could find more cats like that.

Nightstar narrowed his eyes as he stepped out into the sunlight, just in front of Mothermouth. He shook his pelt clean of the dust that had covered him in the cave and looked at the sky to judge what time it was. Sunhigh? Already?

He padded towards the foul-smelling Clan territory. He had learned from Cookie the other day that the Clan that lived here was called ShadowClan. Nightstar bristled as he remembered the cream colored cat with unusual markings. Why would he choose Fang over LightClan? Didn't he see that BloodClan was a bloodthirsty group, no better than a band of rogues?

The more he got to thinking about the troubles that LightClan, new as it was, was experiencing now, the faster he paced until he was running towards his home. LightClan had made their camp where Nightstar had first saw Fang, giving his speech and where Dovewing and Patch were chased out. BloodClan left that area alone now that they found a better meeting place.

Nightstar sped into the clearing, panting as he drew to a stop. Silverfrost was in the middle, sunbathing on a warm rock. He sat up suddenly, looking at Nightstar with alarm.

"What happened? Is there an attack?"

Vinetail poked his head out of the hole that was now the Clan's den. "Attack? Who's attacking?"

Nightstar let his fur lie flat, glad that his Clan was safe. Perhaps he had let his fears get the best of him. "No one's attacking. I...I was just in a hurry to get home, that's all."

"Okay, then," Vinetail said. "By the way," he added, "Your kits are making quite the fuss in there. They keep fussing about getting a new name."

Nightstar purred. "Of course. Should we give it to them now?"

"Yes!"

A new voice came from inside the hole, with Dovewing slipping out of the entrance. "They're driving me insane!"

"Are we getting a new name now?" More voices, and cats, came from the hole. Stripe and Drop were quickly at Nightstar's paws, begging for Clan names so that they'd be officially Clan cats.

"Relax. Of course you can have your new Clan names," Nightstar said, still purring. "I got my new name. I'm Nightstar now, the name of a leader."

Stripe and Drop's eyes widened. "Our father's a leader!"

Nightstar stood on the rock that Silverfrost had been sunning on and yowled, "All cats who can catch their own prey gather in front of the smooth rock!"

Nightstar had never heard those words used by Scourge, but he heard stories from his mother about the Clans who did that whenever cats recieved new names. He saw Stormpelt and Cloverpad exit the den and sit in front of Nightstar, side by side.

"Stripe and Drop, come forward."

The two cats walked forward, hardly able to keep still. Nightstar wracked his mind for the right words to use, but his mother had never mentioned the words used to actually name them. _It's a new Clan_, he decided. _Maybe there should be new words._

"Stripe, do you promise to be forever loyal to LightClan and to do what you know is right for the Clan?"

"Yes!"

"Then, in...in full witness of StarClan and LightClan, I give you your apprentice name, Stripedpaw." Nightstar knew that before cats were warriors, they had to be apprentices so that they could fully understand their role in the Clan before they became warriors. He also knew that they had to have mentors to teach them. Who could be mentor to these two young cats? Nightstar wracked his mind. Cloverpad was too headstrong, and he knew that Duskwind couldn't because Medicine Cats had a special duty in their Clan from the stories he heard as a kit. Dovewing? She was a noble warrior, deserving of an apprentice, and so was...Stormpelt.

"Dovewing, you have much to pass on to Stripedpaw, and I trust you to do that. You will be his mentor."

Nightstar saw Dovewing look proudly at the young apprentice and Stripedpaw looked delighted.

Then, Nightstar turned to Drop. "Drop, do you promise to be forever loyal to LightClan and to do what you know is right for the Clan?"

"Of course!"

"Then, in full witness of StarClan and LightClan, I give you your apprentice name, Robinpaw."

Robinpaw's eyes lit up like she caught a juicy bit of prey and her whiskers quivered.

"Stormpelt, you show great skill in being a warrior. You will be Robinpaw's mentor."

Stormpelt purred, looking at the young apprentice fondly.

Nightstar felt his own joy in being the father to two wonderful kits, now apprentices in LightClan, and in being the leader of the new hope that would end the terror of BloodClan.


	15. Revenge

**I tried to follow the storyline up to now, but I think I'll mix it up a bit after this foreshadowy chapter. :3 Don't forget to review!

* * *

**Chapter 15

He ran through the thick forest, his paws leaving prints behind him. His sleek, black and white fur gleamed in the thin moonlight and his muscles rippled underneath it. Feet flying over the undergrowth, he desperately attempted to find a way out.

He got the feeling he was being watched, followed. He slowed his pace down a bit, wary of the sudden newcomer. He sniffed the air, but different scents were muddled together with a looming sense of darkness. He stepped with extreme caution, noting that any sound could cause a disturbance in the eerie and quiet setting.

A flash of dark. Another cat was suddenly on top of him, pinning him down with sharp claws. He hissed at the sudden attacker, and bend forward to see who it was.

"...Scourge?"

Scourge leaped from on top of him and sat beside him, licking his black fur clean. "Bone."

Bone struggled to his paws and inspected Scourge closely. He seemed to be the same as ever, his rather small frame contradicted with a sense of power that no other cat had. His ice blue eyes, however, had something that Bone didn't remember when he last saw Scourge. He couldn't quite figure out what it was...But that didn't matter now. He had to know where he was.

"What is this place?"

"I don't exactly know," Scourge said, sliding his claws out. "But I do know that I can still see cats from the living, and hurt them. I saw that traitor, Night. I could have killed him if it weren't for that pathetic excuse for a cat, Whiskers."

"Really?" Bone meowed, pretending to be interested in Scourge's story about Night. _If I can visit cats who are alive, _he thought, _I might be able to get those _Clan _cats and put them in their place. _Especially _those apprentices who killed me!_ Bone felt his fur bristle at the thought of the Clan apprentices who killed him and sent him to this dark forest. He'd make them pay.

"Yes, _really_," Scourge hissed, baring his teeth. "But that's not enough. We have to find a way to get out of this place. _Now._"

"I've been wandering this forest for moons, it seems," meowed Bone. "There's no way out."

"You're thinking too shallow, Bone," growled Scourge. "There may not be a _physical _way out. But if that Night can come _in_, _we _can get _out_."

It dawned on Bone that Scourge had a point. If they could find out how to get out of this forest...They could escape death _forever_. Bone's tail lashed at the thought of being immortal.

"Do you know what this means, Bone?" inquired Scourge, seeming to think the same thoughts that Bone was. "We can make those filthy Clan cats pay for what we suffered through as kits. We can make them _all _pay. We would finally get _revenge_."

"Revenge". The word felt sweet on Bone's tounge. He said it again. "_Revenge_."

"Yes, Bone, revenge," Scourge said softly, as if speaking to a kit. "Revenge...But how? If those pathetic cats can come in, how can we get out?" He paced back and forth. "I wanted to kill Night. I wanted him gone. I wanted him _here_, where I was. An...An odd thing occurred. I envisioned Night as clearly as I could, and he...Appeared. Out of nowhere. But then he vanished when Whiskers woke him up, just gone. If I could somehow vanish _with _him..."

"All you did was..._Envision _him here?" Bone said, unable to contain himself. Perhaps that was the key? Wanting?

"Yes," replied Scourge. "If I could envision the right cat, they could get us out. But who..."

* * *

_You._

The word rang in Fang's ears, shaking him awake. What was that? He got to his paws and stretched, aware of an ache throughout his body. He opened one lazy eye, and opened both in astonishment. This wasn't his den. Where was he?!

He scanned the scene around him. Trees everywhere, crowding the small space where he stood. Only little moonlight filtered through the gaps in the trees, and not a sound was to be heard.

Suddenly, two pairs of eyes appeared in front of Fang. He craned his neck forward in interest. Who were they?

One of the pairs of eyes came forward, revealing a small body with black, slick fur. He padded to Fang, power encompassing his small figure. His eyes were ice blue.

"Hello, Fang," he rasped, a soothing tone to his voice. "We have been expecting you."


	16. Immortal

**After a longggggg hiatus, I'm back on track with this story! Keep checking back!**

* * *

Chapter 16

Nightstar stretched and yawned, unsheathing his claws to feel the warmth of the new day. He shook his pelt free of any burrs and dirt, and padded up towards the entrance of the hole.

He glanced at the sky, the sun slowly creeping over the horizon. Then he scanned the ground, noting that new sprouts of herbs and grass were appearing, signaling the signs of spring. Then, something caught his eye. It was a dark shadow among the happy, green sprouts and didn't seem to belong. He walked closer.

Nightstar's eyes widened with horror as he saw what the foreign object was; It was the skeleton of a rat, stripped to the bone. He sniffed it. It reeked of the scent of BloodClan. Nightstar bared his teeth and dug his claws into the ground. _When will Fang realize that enough is enough? We're _not _leaving this hollow._

"Nightstar?"

He whirled around, claws unsheathed, ready to pounce on his opponent. Staring back at him was Dovewing, fur fluffed out in suprise. Nightstar felt his fur grow hot, and quickly sheathed his claws, licking his chest.

"Hi, Dovewing..."

"Nightstar, what's the matter with you?!" Dovewing asked, peering over his shoulder. "What's that?"

"See for yourself." Nightstar moved out of the way and Dovewing let out a gasp. She turned and faced Nightstar, a new emotion showing in her eyes, but he couldn't figure out what it was.

Nightstar turned, unable to stand Dovewing's gaze any longer. He unsheathed his claws unconsciously, scraping them, claws against stone. He looked up at the morning sun again, being visible in the violet sky. The sun had no worries. The only thing it had to do was move from sunrise, to sunhigh, to sunset and back again every day. At night, it got to rest. No worries at all.

He growled, gripping a small weed underneath his claws and shredding it to small green bits. This had to stop! BloodClan couldn't stand the fact that LightClan was here too. They needed the territory to themselves, whether they needed it or not. And that had to stop!

He made his way to the outlet of the clearing and broke into a run, turning down the path he'd known as a kitten. He didn't slow his pace when he heard Dovewing calling after him and finally giving chase.

"Nightstar, what are you _doing_?!" she hissed, ears flat.

"I'm going to fight Fang!"

"Fight _Fang_?! _Alone_? You _know _that'll never happen willingly!"

"I'm going to try!" He thrust forward away from Dovewing and burst into BloodClan's new camp, anger fueling his urge to fight.

Two pairs of eyes stared back at him, ice blue and grass green against the black shadows that covered the camp. He cautiously crept forward, eager to see which two cats he'd intruded on.

They both stood simultaneously, but only one emerged. It was Fang. He stood a mouse-length away from Nighstar's nose, so close that Nightstar could feel his hot breath on his face.

"Leave."

Nighstar growled, bristling. "No."

Fang seemed amused by his defiance, and sat down. "Leave, Nighstar. Not only you. Take your new _Clan _and leave. Leave here, go far away! And if you refuse..." He cast a glance back at the unknown cat left in the shadows. "...Then you'll most certainly regret it."

Nightstar searched Fang's eyes for a clue to what he was talking about. He saw triumph there, of course, but there was something else in his eyes...Fear? Fear of what?

Fang stepped aside, the pair of ice blue eyes coming closer. As the shadows receded with the new day, Nightstar saw something that horrified him from his nose to his tailtip. It was the cat of his nightmares, become unnaturally real. His mind reeled. This couldn't happen! This was...this was _impossible_!

The cat in the clearing was Scourge.


	17. Desperate Questions

**I'm sorry for the _long _delay, guys! But here's Chapter 17!  


* * *

**

Chapter 17

Nightstar stared in speechless horror at the cat that stood before him. The leader of the forest cats had _killed _Scourge. Scourge was _dead_. And yet, he stood there, alive, sneering at Nightstar with contempt. How was that possible? How could Scourge come back from the dead? Questions and shock threatened to overwhelm him, and he barely noticed when Dovewing burst into the clearing next to him, yowling a "Nightst-" and cutting off when she saw the dangerous cat standing calmly before them.

Nightstar could do nothing but press his flank against Dovewing's, her body trembling. Fang narrowed his eyes in delight and sneered at them, clearly aware that they were more than just in awe by the small black cat.

"Now will you leave?"

Without waiting for an answer, Fang whipped around and stalked away, head high and tail in the air, knowing that for the time being, he had won. But Scourge stayed put. He slowly, deliberately walked towards Nightstar until they were a mouselength away. "Listen, Night_star_," he sneered. "You may have thought that you could stay in the twolegplace, but you were wrong. I haven't forgotten how you betrayed BloodClan in the battle for the forest, Nighstar, oh no. I haven't forgotten. And this is my chance to make you pay for what you did. By forcing you to watch your Clan_mates_ die around you." He flicked his tail at Dovewing. "Cookie has so graciously told me where your camp was. And if you don't leave by sundown tomorrow, we'll fight you. But this time," he said, a mischevious glint in his eye, "This time, we won't lose."

With that, he flicked his ears forward, as some sort of signal, and cats began to slither out from the darkness. Among them was Bone. They all had a dark aura about them, a blackness that was in no ordinary cat's heart.

"These are the cats that were with me in the forest, Nightstar. That dark forest that shares a muffled border with StarClan. But no longer. We have risen, and we will claim the forest as ours again! We will claim the entire world! We will not be defeated!" He yowled, and the other cats took up the chant with him.

"We will prevail!"

Horrified, Nightstar spun around and dashed out of the clearing, aware of Dovewing at his heels. Although the BloodClan cats have stopped chanting, the words rang in his head, clear as day. _We will prevail. We will prevail._ How did he expect to fight cats that could not die?!

They slowed to a stop at the camp entrance. Dovewing looked at him in dismay. "What are we going to do?" she whispered quietly.

Nightstar looked at her. She was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen, her sleek fur and beautiful wide eyes the ornaments of perfection. And yet, with all her beauty, and all the love he had for her, she might be destroyed by the evil that lurked just around the corner. He hung his head. "I don't know, Dovewing." He sighed. "I just don't know."

She looked at him, her eyes pools of sadness, and she silently pushed her way into camp. He followed, dismayed. All the LightClan cats were in the clearing, curious as they saw him and Dovewing enter the camp. Stripedpaw and Robinpaw bounded up and smothered Nightstar in questions.

"Where'd you go? What happened? Did you talk to the forest cats? Did you talk to Fang? What did he say? Can we stay here? I want to go too!"

Nightstar just shook his head and made his way to the smooth rock. "Cats of LightClan, come here for a Clan meeting," he yowled, his words ringing across the clearing. All the cats assembled in front of him, Silverfrost in front. "What happened, Nighstar? Were you ambushed?"

Nighstar drew a deep breath and told them where he went, and more importantly, what he found there. "Scourge didn't come alone," he finished. "There were many cats there that had died. They want to drive us out. They've given us one day."

For a few heartbeats, there was silence among his Clanmates as they took in everything he said. Finally, Ivytail's voice rose above the cats.

"What will we do?"

Nightstar looked across the clearing, looking at the cats he knew so well. His kits stared at him in horror, their eyes as big as full moons. He shivered, and Ivytail's question echoed in his head.

_What would they do?_


	18. A Friend, A Foe

**The story's back in action, guys! Here's chapter 18!

* * *

**Chapter 18

Nighstar sat staring at the glittering sky and heaved a sigh. He still didn't know what to do. The rest of the camp was silent, the Clan sleeping in the den. Perhaps he should go with them; Often good ideas came from a full night's rest. He turned to go, but noticed the shape of a cat at the camp's entrance sliding closer. He bared his teeth, bristling, in case it was an intruder, but he let his fur lie flat as the cat shape emerged into the moonlight, revealing Silverfrost. Silverfrost padded to Nightstar's side and seated himself next to him, gazing at Silverpelt.

"Sometimes, Nightstar, the answers are with the ones who are always with you."

He then turned and walked back into the den, leaving his mysterious words hanging in the air after him. _ The ones who are always with me?_ Silverfrost's words puzzled Nightstar. Who was always with him, day and night?

Dovewing was, but she couldn't possibly have the answer. If she did, she'd have shared it with him as they paused in front of the camp. Or maybe during the Clan meeting when he told them about the horrible danger they were all in. No, it couldn't be Dovewing.

Then who was it? No one else was with him almost all the time.

Except...

Nightstar looked at the stars, twinkling brighter than they ever have. StarClan? Could StarClan be the answer? Could they have it? Nighstar leaped to his paws in excitement. There was a way! He dashed out of camp, scrambling under the thin hole of the fence and pelted towards the forest. StarClan was the answer! Surely his mother would give him what he needed to know!

He ran across the marshy territory, too eager to get to the Highstones to bother with the danger presented from Clan cats. But perhaps he should have been more careful; a black figure crashed into him as he neared the thunderpath that bordered the marshy territories. Hissing, he fought to turn and see who it was. It was a dark ginger she-cat that pinned him down. The cat leaned down and spat in Nightstar's face. "What do you think you're doing in ShadowClan territory?"

Nightstar refused to be intimidated by the dangerous looking cat. "Just passing through, unless a cat can't walk around without another padding at his paws?"

"Not in ShadowClan you can't!" the other cat snarled, and raked her claws against Nighstar's nose. He yowled and scratched at the ginger she-cat's underbelly, hoping to make her release her grip. However, this just made the cat grip him tighter, her eyes burning in rage. "Hold still," she growled. "I'm taking you to my leader, Blackstar."

Nightstar got to his paws and followed the cat to her camp. _It wouldn't do them harm_, he thought, _and maybe I can get them to help fight BloodClan_. However, his positive attitude changed as soon as he stepped foot inside the ShadowClan camp. Cats looked up to stare at him with dark, guarded gazes, as if they didn't trust him to know what they were feeling. Even their kits took on a more serious aire than other kits, their play looking a bit more like training than anything else. The gaunt figures of the cats suggested that they haven't eaten well lately, however, and they stared at his sleek coat as if they envied it.

The cat led him to a small hole in the edge of a hill, concealed by darkness so that it was almost impossible to see inside. What come from it was a huge white cat with jet black paws and an authoritive aura, and Nightstar guessed that he was the leader of this Clan. He didn't seem too welcoming, however, and he eyed Nightstar as if he were a rotting piece of freshkill.

"Russetfur, what have you brought me?"

Russetfur nudged Nightstar forward with her nose, and the leader inspected him closely.

"I found him wandering our borders. He claims to just be passing through. He doesn't have Clan scent on him. He smells a bit like BloodClan, doesn't he, Blackstar?"

Blackstar sniffed him cautiously and jerked away as if he smelled like crowfood. "He does." He turned to Nightstar, eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Do you come from BloodClan? We can chase you out again if we have to."

Nightstar saw his chance and took it. "I'm not from BloodClan," he started, noting the look of surprise on Blackstar's face. "I'm from another group of cats from the twolegplace. We're nothing like BloodClan, with me their leader. In fact, they're going to fight us," he said, leaving out the part about Scourge in case Blackstar thought he was insane, "and I need to consult StarClan on what to do. You know what vicious fighters they are."

Russetfur's eyes narrowed at him. "Kittypets? Believing in StarClan? What a pile of foxdung," she spat. "Surely you don't believe this pile of rubbish, do you, Blackstar?"

Blackstar inspected Nightstar with narrowed eyes and flashed Russetfur a look. "Well," he said, a mischievious glint in his eye, "let's just see if this _leader_ believes in StarClan. Why don't we start by finding out if he has nine lives?"

With that, the ShadowClan leader flicked his tail and two great warriors from either side of him began to prowl forward. Nightstar's eyes widenened and he sprinted out of camp and towards the border as fast as he can. He ran accross the thunderpath with the other cats jeering behind him.

"Don't come back!"

Nightstar slowed as he approached the Highrock, panting. Obviously ShadowClan didn't believe him when he told them about LightClan; he half expected them to, and foolishly too. But that was over; what loomed before him, the future of his Clan, was Highrock. However, it seemed different. The trees and rocks that usually surrounded it were gone, and several giant monsters loomed at the edge of the thunderpaths that bordered it. Nothing seemed the same; however, his Clan was at stake. These changes could wait.

As he stepped into the omnious cave that have held the secrets of the Clans and the fate of him and his Clan, the great mouth of the mysteries seemed to swallow him whole.


	19. Hope?

**Yay for more chapters! And thank you all for reviewing, and thanks for ViridianRose for such detailed reviews! You do have a point about the speed at which he travelled, but I kind of pictured the twolegplace stretching across between ThunderClan territory and ShadowClan so that it kind of shared a border with those two, if it made any sense. When he was captured by Russetfur, he was near that bare tree you see in the map of the forest, and the warriors chased him out towards the thunderpath nearest the carrionplace, which borders Highstones. I guess it was kind of fast, but I'm really excited to get to the battle, so yeah...XD Enjoy this next chapter!

* * *

**Chapter 19

Nightstar touched his nose to the great, shining rock and immediately a cool breeze washed over him. His senses tingled with the scents and sounds of the forest and he dared open one eye. The scene that greeted him was one he had experienced before, in the battle of the forest; however, something was wrong. The four great oaks that had towered over them in the battle were gone, and the enormous rock looked mishapen and odd. In the middle of the clearing was the starry figure of a cat that he had only seen when he had recieved his nine lives; Bluestar. She walked to him and sat, looking at the ravaged clearing as if it was her kits, not trees, that had been torn from the earth and scattered like carrion.

"Great change is coming to the forest, Nightstar," she murmured, barely audible. "All of the Clans are in danger. Yours too. The Clans of the forest will survive...But if StarClan lets the danger threatening yours go on much longer, they may not." She sighed and looked to the sky, void of stars with only the moon shining down on them. "It is time for StarClan to fight their last battle here."

Bluestar looked at Nightstar, his face twisted in confusion. "You can not run from Scourge; It is time for his reign to end. His reign should have ended long ago..." She paused, closing her eyes. "You must face them. But you will not stand alone." Her eyes opened. "We will fight with you."

With that, she stood and walked out of the clearing. "Wait!" Nightstar mewed desperately. "Wait!" But it was too late. The forest melted around him, and he found himself at the moonstone once again. Shaking his head, he stood. At least he knew now that they wouldn't be alone when they fought BloodClan. He padded out of the cavern and through the dark tunnels, his instinct showing him where they lead. Finally, he stepped out into the lightening sky. Today was the day the battle would be fought. He closed his eyes and drew a shaky breath. He had to get back to LightClan, and fast. But how?

He couldn't go back to ShadowClan. But there was a moor just in front of him that led to the forest. He'd take that route.

Padding up to the thunderpath, Nightstar peered around the edge to make sure no monsters were coming. He pelted across, landing on soft brush and loose sand that covered the moor.

Unsure of what kind of Clan lived here, he started to pad along the thunderpath, wary of any dangers lurking there. The moorland seemed to go on forever, its sandy slopes and soft patches of grass stretching out in front of him. He wondered what kind of cats lived there. _Probably thin and scrawny_, he thought, noting the lack of prey in the seemingly barren space. As he neared the forest, he found several monsters sleeping on the edge, filling the air with their stink.

Pushing through brambles that covered the outer territory, he found himself at Fourtrees. Nothing was different from the dream; the magnificent oaks were gone, dark, gaping holes where their roots once were, and the Great Rock was turned over, looking clumsy and different from the wonderous rock he knew in the battle. But there was no time for that now; Nightstar had to get to his Clan before Scourge did anything. He raced into the forest, stumbling on rocks and roots every once in a while, but finally finding himself on the hard twoleg path he had known since he was little.

He walked to the camp, pausing every once in a while to sniff the air for signs of BloodClan. There were none, but he couldn't be sure. Nearing the entrance to the camp, he paused. What would he tell them? To fight dozens of cats that couldn't die? But StarClan was on their side. Surely they'd believe that.

Stepping into the camp, all the cats focused their eyes on him. "Did you find what we're going to do?" Ivytail asked nervously.

"Yes," Nightstar said. He paused as all the cats looked at him and mewed to each other in barley suppressed excitement. "We must fight!"

All talking ceased and the cats all stared at him. Their expressions were clearly shocked and unbelieving, round eyes betraying their visions of LightClan being torn apart under the paws of BloodClan. "Fight?! Are you insane?!" Cloverpad asked incredilously. "We only have nine cats in our Clan. How can we fight against a whole...A whole _army _of them?!"

"We have StarClan on our side," he said. "They'll fight with us!" Instead of the hopefully expressions he expected, however, glowering looks and disbelief rose above the cats.

"They're _dead_!"

Anger flashed in Nightstar's eyes, mixed with impatience. He leapt downfrom the rock and looked at his Clan head-on. "Scourge was dead. Bone was dead. They were _all _dead! Can't you summon enough faith in your ancestors to fight for your _freedom_?!"

Ivytail padded to the front, a solemn look in his eyes. "We trust your judgement, Nightstar..." He looked away. "But we can't help feeling that this is a battle we'll never win."

They all went, one by one, back into the den. Nightstar was left looking at Dovewing, the only one left, a sad look in her eye. She sighed and padded after Ivytail, leaving Nightstar looking at an empty clearing, and an empty hope.


	20. War

**A/N: Eep...Sorry for waiting so long for the last few chapters. I'll get them up, promise! And...I don't know if Erin Hunter read my story or what, but apparently they're doing a Dark Forest vs. StarClan thingy too...I didn't copy, I swear. ._.'  


* * *

**

Nightstar sighed, the hope fully drained from his chest. He slumped down in the dirt, raising dust which matted his dark fur. He felt utterly defeated, and not by the enemy he thought he would. He felt defeated by himself - his failure of convincing the Clan that they must believe in StarClan, his failure in defeating Scourge once and for all. His failure of defending the only family and friends he had left.

Suddenly, Nightstar heard a rustle from behind him. He whirled around, tail erect and fur bristling.

It was Fang.

The dim light shed on the yellow cat's fur, giving him a strange, iridescent look. His lips were curled in a snarl, however, and his claws slid out from under his grimy paws. Behind him, shadows were darker than the dark side of the moon, casting an eerie light to the cat. His fur was matted, as though he hasn't washed in days.

"Given up yet?..._Kittypet_?"

Despite himself, Nightstar snarled. "I will _never _give up."

"Then you better start considering it."

At first, Nightstar was slightly confused by the cat's words. But then he noticed the dark shadows behind him were now moving restlessly; snarls ripped out of throats, white teeth and claws gleamed in the moonlight.

BloodClan.

And spreading out wider as more cats came, filling in the space between the fence and Nightstar, were darker, stranger cats. Cats with a strange, pulsing feeling about them. Cats that had fatal wounds on their bodies, as though they were alive again...from the dead. Out from the shadowy night came a cat that Nightstar had never wanted to see again, a cat that haunted his dreams. Scourge.

He roughly shoved Fang aside and came nose to nose with Nightstar. Nightstar could see his eyes shining with hatred and slight insanity from power. Nightstar instinctively slid his claws out and hissed.

Nightstar then heard noises from behind him. For a panicked moment, he thought it was more of Scourge's warriors, somehow surrounding him; but then he scented the scent of LightClan.

Dovewing quickly padded to Nightstar's side, and he heard her give an audible hiss. Stormpelt took up his other flank, and he was slightly aware of Cloverpad and Vinetail right behind him. Next to them were the scents of Robinpaw and Stripedpaw. Protectively, Nightstar wrapped his tail around his two kits, never taking his eyes off of the black warrior.

"Ah," Scourge said, his voice bordering a sneer. "Is this _LightClan_? The _kittypet _clan?" He flattened his ears against his skull. "This is BloodClan's territory. We will give you one last chance. Leave."

Nightstar didn't need his Clan's approval to know the answer to that statement.

"No."

Without missing a beat, Scourge unsheathed his claws and raised a paw.

"_Attack!"_

Yowls echoed off the clearing as the BloodClan cats sprung into the air, raining down on the LightClan, taking advantage of their sheer numbers. Scourge leapt on Nightstar and slashed his at his belly with razor sharp claws.

Yowling, Nightstar bared his teeth and hunched his hind legs together, kicking Scourge cleanly off of him. The black cat skidded back two tail lengths and then stood again, his eyes flashing fire. He leapt for Nightstar again, but Nightstar nimbly dodged him. He tried to ignore the blood welling under his belly as he swiftly slipped into the writhing mass of fighting cats.

Searching the crowds for one of the nine cats that made his Clan, he spotted a flash of pure white. Dovewing! She was attempting to fight off a dark forest warrior, whose tail was hideously bent. He seemed to be hissing under his breath.

Nightstar bunched his hind legs, ready to pounce, when a warning called out from behind him: "Brokentail! Watch out!" The crooked tailed cat, Brokentail, whirled around and spotted Nightstar. He seemed to grin as he pounced.

Nightstar stood on his hind legs for just a second, registering the confused look on Brokentail's face, when the dead cat shot out from between his legs and bowled him over. Now face down in the dirt, Nightstar felt Brokentail's claws raking down his back. He closed his eyes, helpless. He failed his Clan...He was about to die...He failed..._He failed_...

Suddenly, however, he heard a screech, and the weight was lifted off his back. Springing up, Nighstar looked over his shoulder to find that Dovewing had Brokentail pinned down on the dirt. She was raking his ear, and although blood was welling near his head, he still screeched and scrambled to get free. Finally, Dovewing released him, and he shot, screeching, into the undergrowth.

Dovewing turned to Nightstar. "This can't go on much longer," she said, her eyes brimming with concern. She gestured to the battle with her tail. The hollow was writhing with dark, ominous figures, and every so often Nightstar only caught a fleeting glimpse of one of his own cats. They were always the ones retreating.

Nightstar found himself looking towards the now rising moon. It was full; he knew that in the Clans, there would be a Gathering. A time for peace. Not so in the clearing.

Suddenly, the moon seemed to shimmer, and expand...It filled with a heavenly, celestial glow. "What?" Nighstar whispered. It seemed that the rest of the cats were beginning to notice, too. It was as if the moon grew and lightened, turning into the sun.

Suddenly, a ray of moonlight shone down on the cats, and starry figures formed in its midst. He recognized the ears and faces of cats...Starry cats...

StarClan!

StarClan flooded into the clearing, their starry forms taking on battle poses and vicious snarls. The one that gave Nightstar one of his lives, Bluestar, was front and center. He heard her battle yowl echo across the clearing:

"Attack!"

Suddenly, the advantage was to LightClan and StarClan. The starry warriors fought side by side with them, the BloodClan cats hissing and retaliating.

Nightstar then felt claws rake down his back. Whirling around, he saw Fang, claws unsheathed and sneer wide. Hissing, Nightstar flashed a paw out and raked it down Fang's muzzle. Fang snarled and darted underneath Nightstar, raking under his already wounded belly. Nightstar turned and was about to strike when two Dark Forest warriors flanked Fang. They gave Nightstar a lopsided grin and began to advance. Nightstar snarled and flattened his ears, knowing that he couldn't take them all on at once.

One of the dark warriors was ready to leap when a flash of starry white bowled him over. The other one was raked in the flank by a gray-yellow cat with sharp, devastating teeth that began to rip at the warrior's fur.

Nightstar didn't waste a moment. While Fang was still bewildered, he leapt on him and pinned him down. Fang snarled and clawed at Nightstar's belly; Nightstar, without any delay, slammed down a claw on his throat.

Nightstar then stepped back, horrified. Fang was lying on the floor, a tear in his neck. His eyes were wide and wild, the sign of a dying cat.

"N-no..."

And then Fang was gone.

Suddenly, the BloodClan cats stopped in their tracks; the clearing became eerily quiet. And then one scream pierced the darkness.

It was Scourge.

Scourge was in the middle of the clearing, but Nightstar could see directly through him. It was as if he was...fading. Fading away. And he was. With a final screech, Scourge melted away into the darkness.

Nightstar realized the same was happening to the other Dark Forest cats. He saw them look wildly around, hatred and fear in their eyes, as they melted into the ground and disappeared.

Finally, they were gone.


	21. The End of the Beginning

**A/N: Aw, the last chapter. I'm really going to miss this story once I'm done. At least...Until the sequel! Muahaha! Okay, but really, I _will _miss this story. I really hope you guys liked it!

* * *

**

Nightstar's first reaction was happiness; BloodClan and the Dark Forest warriors were gone! But then he saw a limp figure among the starry and real cats of his Clan, lying motionless in the center of the clearing. His gray pelt was striped.

It was Silverfrost.

He was still, save for the faint in and out of his breaths, and his flank and belly were raked with cuts and scratches too deep to be from any normal cat's claws; Nightstar knew that he had taken on BloodClan cats, and multiple ones at that.

Nightstar yowled in dismay and rushed forward to Silverfrost. He seemed to be unconscious.

"Duskwind!" he called, hoping that the medicine cat would be able to have something for the old elder that lay dying in the clearing.

Duskwind slowly padded to Silverfrost, and Nightstar was vaguely aware that the rest of the cats were around him, their heads bowed in sorrow. Duskwind hung her head as well and spoke the words that Nightstar had feared:

"There's nothing I can do for him, Nightstar."

Nightstar shook his head and looked in dismay at the cat whose breathing was so faint now that it was barely noticeable. And as the seconds ticked past, it finally stopped.

Silverfrost was gone.

Nightstar buried his head in the old cat's fur, breathing in the scent that had guided him through making LightClan and shown support through the days against BloodClan. The cat that had guided these warriors beside him, and the one that had never truly lost faith.

"Do not fret, Nightstar."

Nightstar looked up, suddenly aware that the rest of the LightClan cats were staring at something behind him. He slowly looked around and gasped.

Silverfrost was standing in the midst of the clearing, his gray muzzle now dark and his body lean and young. His pelt shimmered and shone with the light of the stars that were beside him and above. He padded towards Nightstar, finally stopping when they were face to face.

"You have led these cats through this hard time. You've created a strong Clan out of them. You've led them to their victory over BloodClan, and have destroyed the Dark Forest's."

Nightstar looked at him in confusion. "The only cat I killed was Fang."

Silverfrost smiled and tapped him lightly on the shoulder with the tip of his gray tail. "And in doing so, you destroyed the cats of the Dark Forest. They came out with a link to Fang - when you killed him, you severed that link, and they disappeared. Vanished. They're not here, nor the Dark Forest, and certainly not StarClan. They are merely gone."

Nightstar grasped the meaning of this and looked around the small little clearing - the camp - and felt the hope swell in his chest and burst, becoming sheer joy. He glanced at Dovewing, seeing the same joy reflected in her eyes - and in every other cat in the clearing.

Slowly, the StarClan cats began to ascend once more, in a straight line, directly up to the moon again until all they seemed to be was a sparkling moonbeam. Silverfrost looked at Nightfrost once more.

"We will never forget you."

And then he, too, ascended up into the sky until the moonbeam retreated and the moon and stars were shining down on them. And as Nightstar looked around the clearing once more, he saw the trustful and caring faces of the Clan.

His Clan.

LightClan.


End file.
